The iconic Darwin GleNTi, which takes place annually in the Northern Territory on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend, has been scaled back this year due to supply shortages.
The news has been confirmed to The Greek Herald by Nicholas Poniris, the President of the Greek Orthodox Community of North Australia (GOCNA) which organises the GleNTi.
Mr Poniris says the GleNTi will not go ahead as usual this year, but a Darwin Greek Festival will take place instead on the grounds of the Greek Orthodox School of Darwin in Nightcliff.
Darwin GleNTi 2021. File photo: Georgia Politis Photography.
This decision was made by the GOCNA committee after suppliers from Greece, who provide quality products such as wine for the GleNTi, confirmed on Monday night they would not be able to meet the demand for the usual two-day extravaganza.
Mr Poniris said GOCNA did not want to go ahead with the GleNTi if they were unable to provide the “quality product” they are known for.
Dancer at last year’s GleNTi. File photo: Georgia Politis Photography.
There is no set date for the new Greek Festival yet, with Mr Poniris hinting at either the June 12 – 13 long weekend or earlier that month. There are also negotiations for a three month program of Greek events to align with the Festival.
“It will be a great event. It will be comparable to GleNTi,” Mr Poniris concluded. “We’ve done this before and the Darwin Greek Festival will be second to nothing else.”
Candalepas Associates has been selected by a design panel as preferred architect for a 55-level luxury residential and commercial building by Deicorp in the Sydney CBD.
According to The Australian, the Sydney firm secured the appointment after an exhaustive competitive design process managed by the City of Sydney.
The project will be built on the corner of Liverpool and Castlereagh streets in the Hyde Park south precinct, and will include four levels of A-Grade office space, ground floor retail and a courtyard garden.
Candalepas principal, Angelo Candalepas, told The Australian he relished the opportunity to deliver a landmark building.
“It is a building with dramatic foyers and an oasis garden for the residents. These two facilities link to provide a sense of wellness and nature in the centre of the city,” Mr Candalepas said.
Deicorp founder, Fouad Deiri, welcomed Candalepas’ appointment and said the team is excited to work with Angelo and other leading consultants “to deliver an outstanding new building.”
Former employees are accusing Dr Martin of making inappropriate comments and engaging staff in personal administrative work.
In response to a question from the newspaper, Dr Martin offered an apology.
“If any staff member felt they had a poor experience in my office, then I apologise. I know I can always do better but I am not aware of any complaints,” she said.
The Member for Reid is also facing allegations she had employed a former babysitter as a diary manager in her office – a taxpayer-funded role worth up to $90,000 a year.
While Dr Martin did not deny having hired her former babysitter, she asserted all of her staff had been hired as “part of an open and competitive process and on the basis of their ability to perform only the tasks required of them that are clearly set out by the MOPS Act.”
This news comes as two heads of the Liberal Party’s Strathfield women’s branch also withdrew their support for Dr Martin’s campaign on Monday night.
The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has launched a public inquiry into corruption allegations surrounding City of Canada Bay mayor, Angelo Tsirekas, The Daily Telegraph reports.
In a public statement on Wednesday afternoon, ICAC announced an inquiry will launch on April 26.
ICAC will probe allegations Mr Tsirekas, who was first elected Canada Bay mayor in 2002, deliberately failed to disclose relationships he had with several individuals, and property and development companies.
@nswicac will hold a public inquiry into allegations concerning the City of Canada Bay Mayor and others, commencing Tuesday 26 April 2022. More details on Operation Tolosa here https://t.co/d7lBQtS04y
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, these allegations concern multiple properties across the Canada Bay local government area, including two Victoria Road addresses in Drummoyne, and two properties in Rhodes.
Development giant Billbergia, as well as Prolet, are among the companies identified in ICAC’s public statement regarding the investigation.
Canada Bay mayor Angelo Tsirekas.
ICAC also allege Mr Tsirekas received financial benefits, international flights and accommodation from a company in return for favourable council considerations relating to planning decisions.
In a statement to the SMH, a Canada Bay Council spokesman declined to say whether Mr Tsirekas would be stepping down from his role following Wednesday’s announcement.
“We are not able to make a comment on this inquiry at this time,” the spokesman said.
The Index uses data from the International Air Transport Association and ranks passports based on the number of destinations their holder can visit without a visa.
According to the data, passports from Greece and Australia allow citizens to holiday in 185 countries without organising a visa.
Both countries have tied with Canada, the Czech Republic and Malta in seventh place.
Meanwhile, at the top of this year’s index are Japan and Singapore, with their passports allowing citizens to visit a whopping 192 countries without requiring a visa.
Afghanistan remains at the bottom of the ranking with its nationals only able to access 26 destinations visa-free.
Here are the top rankings:
Japan, Singapore, 192
Germany, South Korea, 190
Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, 189
Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden, 188
France, Ireland, Portugal, United Kingdom, 187
Belgium, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, United States, 186
Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Greece, Malta, 185
Russia’s embassy in Athens on Wednesday warned of “consequences” after Greece asked 12 Russian diplomats to leave the country over the war in Ukraine.
“We have strongly protested against this unjustified and hostile step which aims to further destroy our bilateral relations,” the embassy said in a statement.
“We made clear that this action will not remain without consequences.”
Со своей стороны выразили решительный протест против такого безосновательного конфронтационного шага, направленного на дальнейшее разрушение всего комплекса наших двусторонних отношений. Сказали, что эти действия не останутся без последствий. https://t.co/tloqNRuXYx
This statement comes after Greece declared 12 Russian officials personae non gratae earlier on Wednesday.
According to Ekathimerini, Russian Ambassador Andrey Maslov was summoned to the Greek Foreign Ministry to be notified of the decision.
The Foreign Ministry said the decision was made in line with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961 and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963.
The Greek Foreign Ministry announcement comes as Greece’s Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, also said on Wednesday that Greece will push back the phase-out of lignite plants to reduce dependence on Russian natural gas.
Mitsotakis made the announcement at the inauguration of a 204.3 MW photovoltaic park by Hellenic Petroleum in Kozani. Photo: Twitter.
Mitsotakis said Greece will boost coal mining by 50% and extend the operation of all its coal-fired power plants to 2028, instead of closing them down by 2023 as previously planned.
“It is a temporary measure,” Mitsotakis said at the inauguration of a 204.3 MW photovoltaic park by Hellenic Petroleum (ELPE), Greece’s biggest oil refiner, in Kozani.
Mitsotakis added that “in no case” will these changes affect Greece’s announced goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% in 2030 and achieve climate neutrality by 2050.
Αυτή η προσαρμογή του Εθνικού Σχεδίου για την Ενέργεια & το Κλίμα δεν καθυστερεί, δεν αναβάλλει και δεν μειώνει όλες τις δράσεις του προγράμματος για τη δίκαιη μετάβαση που συνοδεύει την πολιτική της απολιγνιτοποίησης. Διότι αυτή είναι μία αδιαπραγμάτευτη, μία στρατηγική επιλογή.
— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) April 6, 2022
US Undersecretary of State: Russians must access the truth on Ukraine
Elsewhere, the US Undersecretary of State, Victoria Nuland, paid a visit to Cyprus on Wednesday and stressed that Russian “disinformation” about its war against Ukraine needs to be exposed, including on Russia’s “war crimes.”
“We all have an interest in exposing Russian disinformation, ensuring our citizens have the truth and ensuring that Russian citizens also (have the truth)… despite the Iron Curtain that Putin has put down over that,” Nuland said during her official visit.
Pleasure to welcome @undersecstatep Nuland to #Cyprus 🇨🇾 to inaugurate #CYCLOPS | A state-of-the-art facility funded by the #US 🇺🇲 | a great and concrete achievement which further strengthens the existing bilateral strategic partnership | pic.twitter.com/hJbedWz3a7
According to Ekathimerini, Nuland was asked whether the US had asked Cyprus to transfer its Russian-made weapons and she said: “It is not for the United States to ask of Cyprus. It is for Cyprus to make its own decisions about what it wants to and can do.”
Cypriot officials said no weapons would be transferred to Ukraine without securing replacements, to avoid weakening the war-divided island nation’s defences.
Nuland was in Cyprus as part of a five-nation tour aimed at strengthening bilateral ties and rallying support for Ukraine. This included a visit to Greece as well.
After two years of covid hiatus award winning comedian, actress, writer and creator of the iconic 90s character Effie, Mary Coustas, will for the first time in her career take the Opera House’s Playhouse in May to premiere her intimate one-woman-show, This Is Personal.
But what is personal in a world that experiences this level of speed and connection?
“Everything is personal,” Mary Coustas tells The Greek Herald, promising the audience a candid, unplugged performance that combines the colourful tapestry of her migrant upbringing in Melbourne’s suburbs and her recent experience of motherhood.
“When I was growing up, I used to think that racism, is not personal. It happens to lots of people that look like me, but it didn’t stop it from happening to me. And it felt very personal at the time,” says Mary.
“And you try to be bigger than that although you continuously not fit in with what is considered the norm,” she says. “I didn’t see faces that looked like mine in the media or in the public sphere.”
Neither racism nor the fear of the unknown stopped the then young migrant from entering the entertainment industry with optimism and with the goal to show that being a strong female and comfortable in your own skin is not a hinderance but an advantage.
“You need to build strength from the inside out and my Greek grandmothers were my role models,” she says. “Being strong is not a threat but a box you have to tick before any other.”
It was Mary’s younger self who created the suit of armour we’ve come to know as “Effie” and have loved for over three decades.
I ask her if it’s tempting to put her theatrical character aside to perform this new show but Mary says “Effie is never too far away.”
“I am at my most fearless when I’m performing her [Effie]. Literally nothing worries me. It’s like time stands still,” she says.
“I talk to the audience and it’s electrifying. I can walk into parliament house and get up as Effie and perform for whoever the leader is at the time and feel like I have every right to be there and that I’m representing working class ethnic women, or just people that are like me, the everyday person. Effie represents that,” she says.
“But I felt like it’s time to sort of go commando without the comfort and security of Effie. And to really strip myself back away from the bells and whistles.”
Laced with Mary Coustas’ comedic flair, This Is Personal, under the direction of Blazey Best, is a kaleidoscopic exploration of love, loss, laughter, fear and the characters that shaped the comedian’s life.
“This is Personal gives me the freedom to discuss the themes we all face in this life – race, gender, belonging, and freedom of expression. Now, I feel I am ready to tackle these issues of the human condition as Mary. To step away from the puppet and expose the puppeteer,” she says.
Mary Coustas, the celebrated Australian comedian, actress, writer, and creator of the iconic 90’s character Effie, premieres her most intimate show to date, This Is Personal. Showing 25-29th May Tickets on sale now! https://t.co/4RBg2OF0gDpic.twitter.com/WdJ5bjKEVh
“It is a funny show because I have to bring comedy even to the most tragic of things. That’s just how my mind works.”
Mary Coustas believes that sharing pain through laughter is “a much more intravenous way of dealing with life stuff.”
And I can’t disagree with her.
“I think people walk away from all of my shows -whether it’s an Effie show or not- standing a little taller and feeling a bit better about themselves.”
“I want my people, my audience, to come to the Opera House. This show is not just for the white middle class,” she says.
“Whether they are from the suburbs, from different cultures, from different sexual inclinations I invite them to the Opera House, to look at that Harbour Bridge, marvel how beautiful this place is and to feel like they belong.”
*This Is Personal, will premiere in the Opera House’s Playhouse from 25 – 29 May 2022. The performance on 28 May at 7.30pm will be livestreamed to audiences around the world via the Opera House’s online streaming platform, Stream.
Two heads of the Liberal Party’s Strathfield women’s branch withdrew their support for the campaign of sitting Member for Reid, Fiona Martin, on Monday night, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.
In a statement made at a Reid presidents’ meeting on Monday night, Strathfield women’s branch president Liana Ross and secretary Vivian Hodgson said their friendship with Natalie Baini, who is running against Dr Martin as an independent, was a conflict of interest.
They also claimed Dr Martin had told Liberal Party members that she lived in the suburb of Rhodes, which is within Reid, when she was living outside the electorate in Ryde.
Dr Martin told the SMH she had “always been upfront about purchasing a place for the family five minutes outside the electorate.”
The turbulence comes ahead of an anticipated tightly fought contest in the Sydney seat, which straddles wealthy inner-west areas such as Rodd Point and Canada Bay, working-class suburbs of Auburn and Lidcombe, as well as strong religious and ethnic communities around Strathfield, Homebush and Burwood.
Professor George Paxinos officially launched his environmental crime novel, A River Divided, at Ashfield Town Hall on Tuesday night.
The event, which was part of The Greek Festival of Sydney and hosted by the Inner West Council Library, was a huge success with over 100 people in attendance.
This included the Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Christos Karras; the Trade Commissioner of Greece in Australia, Katia Gkikiza; the President of the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW (GOCNSW), Harry Danalis; and the Chair of the Greek Festival of Sydney, Nia Karteris.
Every attendee listened intently as a number of speakers spoke at the book launch such as Professor Paxinos, Dr Con Costa, Professor Mat Santamouris, the novel’s editor, Kiriaki Orfanos, and guest speaker, Angelya Vassiliadis.
Professor Paxinos discussed the storyline of his novel and how it pays homage to religion, the environment and neuroscience.
Dr Costa then spoke of the relevance of the novel to feelings of grief today, whilst Professor Santamouris focused on the topic of over-population, which is also a theme which runs through A River Divided.
After this, Ms Orfanos shared what it was like to edit and transform Professor Paxinos’ scientific writing into literature, before Ms Vassiliadis read a passage from the novel and spoke of how she couldn’t put the book down once she had started reading.
At the conclusion of these formal proceedings, which were chaired by prominent environmentalist Liz Courtney, attendees were treated to a special performance of five songs by Efi Karra and two Argentinian singers, Justo and Miguel.
This was followed by question time and a book signing session by Professor Paxinos.
“I felt that I was amongst friends yesterday,” Professor Paxinos tells The Greek Herald after the event. “It didn’t have to be a good joke for the audience to laugh. It was great.”
It was all things Greek on Sunday at the Hermes-Ilion Club in Sydney where Labor spokeswoman for Indigenous Australians and Member for Barton, Linda Burney, launched her re-election campaign in an event hosted by the Hellenic Caucus – Greek Friends of Labor.
Among the 180 attendees were NSW Labor Leader Chris Minns, Shadow Minister for Small Business, Property and Multiculturalism Steve Kamper and state parliamentarians Courtney Houssos, Mark Buttigieg MLC and Rose Jackson along with local government representatives Bayside Mayor Christina Curry and Councillors Bill Saravinovski, Joe Awada and Ann Fardell.
My heartfelt thanks to @ChrisMinnsMP , Steve Kamper and every one of the 100s who launched my campaign for Barton today – especially Harry and Greek Friends of Labor for hosting!
Speaking about the event President of the Greek Friends of Labor, George Houssos said that the electoral division of Barton is home to a big Greek community and reiterated that if re-elected, Ms Burney will focus on the wellbeing of the elderly citizens in line with the Party’s pledge for $2.5bn extra for the struggling aged care system.
“The budget is about funding aged care better, making sure there are nurses available 24 hours in nursing homes and aged care facilities and higher wages for the carers. For the Greeks this is a big issue,” Mr Houssos said.
“Children and elderly are important in our community and these are Labor’s priorities for this election.”
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is expected to call the federal election any day now with available dates narrowed down to May 7, 14 or 21.
